The World’s Most Important Business Metric
Posted: 10 Aug 2009 04:00 AM PDT on The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
Metrics are a powerful tool for measuring progress, evaluating decisions, and when done right, are an early warning system for problems. There is one problem though… too many metrics cause indecision. You know; analysis paralysis. (more…)
Want to know the biggest roadblock to being successful? It is the naysayers. And unfortunately, sometimes (perhaps, often) you are your own naysayer. Here are 31 strategies used by TPEs who have faced the naysayers and defeated them. Now it is your turn to defeat the naysayers and get down to building a successful business, damn it!
How To Deal With Naysayers: That’s right, I said IDIOT. And if you check out dictionary.com, you’ll find a few synonyms to accurately describe those who always see the glass completely empty.
The naysayer always knows what’s wrong and what won’t work. Yet they never seem to have a solution. Don’t listen to them. Instead, look to someone who has succeeded and ask for guidance.
Get rid of ‘em, flush ‘em, and move toward success.
Read More at http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/31-ways-how-to-deal-with-naysayers
Don't Listen to the NaySayers
They say misery likes company. I think challenges like company too. As an entrepreneur you may feel that you are an island. You may believe that you are the first ever to face your challenge, but I have good news. You’re not. Many entrepreneurs have come before you, and many will after. Here are the stories that some of the TPE community wanted to share with you. You are not alone!
http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/how-i-overcame-my-big-business-challenge
Just wanted to re-post this blog from friend of mine who asked me to contribute. My $.02 are in there with the “It’s OK to Get Sacked” tip.
Golden Eggs of Engaging Experiences
I read something recently that said, the “best” content for being found by search engines and editing in the CMS is plain text, wrapped only by the standard tags – paragraphs, unordered lists, H2, H3, H4, etc.
I agree that there is value in text content and standard tags. However, there has to be an engaging experience for the site visitor. Remember, we humans like images, audio, video, things that engage what neuro marketing evangelists call the “old brain”. Many, if not most, don’t make logical decisions. Most make emotional decisions that they support with facts, features, benefits, etc. that tell them their emotional decision was the “right” one.
Yes, consumers do utilize natural search to find sites and Google utilizes text content, links, etc. in determining SERP value. However, even Google sees the value of images, video, and other engaging elements in establishing serach return value.
I recently found on http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com a new study from One to One Interactive’s OTOInsights has brought the disparate fields together with a new study, Implications of User Engagement with Search Result Pages. This research examined the effects of “universal” search results (which include images and video results) vs. the traditional text-only SERPs. The findings showed that the universal SERPs were, in fact, more emotionally engaging, creating significant implications for both SEO and SEM practices:
SERPs which include Universal Search results reinforce eyeballs to stay focused on the first page’s top paid and natural search results
Implications:
- The advent of Universal Search demands that companies optimize not only their text, but also their media (images, videos, etc)
- Image and video results may anchor users to stay at the top of the SERP
- Images and videos will begin to impact what users will click on first in a SERP
[From Implications of User Engagement with Search Result Pages (summary).]
The second insight claimed by the researchers is,
The inclusion of Universal Search results increase emotional engagement during interactions with a SERP
Implications:
- Users will get an ‘instant gratification’ from images – perhaps more so from branded images
- Higher engagement with Universal results may stop users from exploring the rest of the SERP
The researchers recorded “biophysical signals” as well as eye and click tracking data (part of the “Quantemo neuromarketing research system”) to analyze. In addition, two written surveys were collected as part of the effort to measure emotional engagement. (More info can be found in the white paper.)
I have also been working with Jim Fortin, founder of Mind Authority to pull the fields of Neuro Persuasion and SEO together and found much of what the One to One study results report to be right on target.
Remember, people buy experiences, not keywords. As we begin to combine good text content, engaging visual and video content, Universal Search, and engaging customer experiences, we will serve our clients and customers better and get much more out of our SERP real estate.
